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Having a well thought-out mobile strategy has become critical to online success, as we all know only too well, right? Well, perhaps we like to think that way, but on the contrary, according to a recent intelligence report from a leading digital think tank, it seems that many in the hospitality industry aren’t actually taking the mobile web as seriously as they should…
The newly published Mobile IQ report from the L2 Think Tank offers an interesting insight into the state of mobile maturity across a number of different sectors, and despite the hospitality industry’s overall strong showing (it ranked second, trailing the retail sector), many in the business still have a long way to go if they are truly going capitalize on one of the fastest growing markets of the moment.
What is apparent from the report is that many in the hospitality business are forgetting the basics, resorting to ‘fashionable’ mobile apps, without bothering to develop a proper strategy and optimize their websites for mobile viewing. And while there may be dozens of useful (and not so useful) travel app out there, many of them lack basic features such as the ability to make purchases on a mobile platform.
Considering how much search takes place on mobile browsers, many hospitality companies have clearly missed the boat here.
The report is limited to luxury brands, known as the Prestige 100, yet nevertheless gives a good insight into the overall status and direction of mobile maturity across several industries.
While the hospitality industry ranks second overall in terms of mobile maturity, this was due almost entirely to the performance of leading luxury hotel brands – without hotels, the hospitality industry’s mobile maturity level would be in a very sorry state indeed. Air carriers such as Emirates and Singapore Airlines, and liners like SilverSea have a lot to answer for.
Overall, the hospitality sector scored an average score of 86 out of 100 points, rooting it firmly in the “challenged” category with regards to its mobile strategy. Clearly, much work remains to be done…
L2 Prestige 100®: Mobile IQ — The Video from L2 Think Tank on Vimeo.
View Comments (2)
Well said Mike! It's as simple as making a booking engine mobile friendly compared to developing a mobile app which is expensive and can only be used by a single hotel which hopes he has a few loyal bookers to justify the cost of developing the app!
Thank you for the blog post! I have continuously said that the travel industry can learn a lot from retailers. I find it interesting that consumers use mobile websites and apps while travel shopping but never just use an app. The hospitality industry needs to take this into consideration when planning their mobile websites, instead of being fashionable there needs to be a strategic plan on how to help consumers book with their hotels. Thanks again for this post!